The Difference Between Tear Drops and Salt Water
by kyria hyuuga
Summary: It wasn't cosmic fate. It was a night in a bar. It wasn't a princess and her knight. It was a boy and a girl. Jaded and disillusioned they form a bond of friendship over tears shed and loves lost. Through this bond they realize that sometimes salt water is not necessarily a tear drop and that the person you could never let go of, is the one person who will never leave you behind.
1. Chapter 1

The Difference Between Tear Drops and Salt Water

Prologue: Warm, Strong and Comforting

_September 2013_

"I hear she cheated on you."

Hand on his back, warm, strong, comforting.

"You heard right."

Whiskey in his throat, warm, strong, comforting.

"I can't say I didn't expect it to happen."

Blue eyes, as blue as the sea outside. Warm. Strong. Comforting.

"How can you say that?"

Smile on her lips. Warm. Strong. Comforting.

"Because you loved her more."

Her hair on his hands. Golden as the ray of light. Warm. Strong. Comforting.

"And that automatically means I get cheated on with an older guy?"

Her cheek against his. Soft as your favorite pillow. Warm. Strong. Comforting.

"It does, Edward, because love is a scary thing."

Her voice in his ear, not like the bells he was used to, but deeper, warmer, more woman. Warm. Strong. Comforting.

"So I scared her away?"

Her lips on his, fire and ice, the beginning and the end. Not warm but burning. Not strong but consuming. Not comforting but everything.

"No. I think she just didn't love you."

Her breath whispered over his senses and his hands gripped her hips tighter, dragging her against him.

"And why are you here now? Why are you with me?"

Her eyes locked on his.

Her lips hovered.

Her hands gripped his.

"Because he didn't love me too."

Her pulse tripped as his tongue flicked her neck. Eyes locked on hers.

He was burning her alive, couldn't he see that?

"She killed our babies. There were three of them. She just told me. She killed our babies and she cheated on me."

Her heart broke for his.

Her arms around him. A haven, a heaven, his place. Warm. Strong. Comforting.

"He's gay."

A strangled laugh came from him. The vibrations tickling her tummy and she smiled a watery smile.

"It was not a joke Edward."

He sighed and brought his face up.

"Why did life fuck us up?"

She kissed his forehead, lost in his blue-gray eyes. Lost in the wild mess of his bronze hair she answered the only way she knew how.

"So we find each other. I'm pregnant."

He looked at her and held her hand and gave her a genuine smile.

"We'll get through it Bella."

"Jen."

His eyes crinkled and a finger touched her lips.

"Jennifer, we'll get through it."

She smiled and leaned forward.

"Together?"

He smiled and winked at her.

"Always."

He took her in his arms and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I think I'm in love with you Edward."

"Rob."

She smiled and sighed.

"I'm in love with you, Robert."

"And I'm in love with you, Jennifer."

And there they stood, warm, strong and comforted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Random Touches

"If you can go anywhere, where would you go?"

He hummed and leaned in closer to her. Cheeks against cheeks. Hands holding hands.

"Somewhere far from here. Away from the lights. Away from the cheating and the flashes. Away. With you. Anywhere away with you."

She chuckled because that right there was him. The snark the humor. That was him. And she loved him.

"I'd go anywhere with you."

His eyes locked with hers as he ghosted a kiss over her naked shoulder. Her breath hitched and he smiled.

"With our baby?"

Her face fell and she sighed. "You know its his. We never cheated."

He nodded and placed a warm hand on her belly.

"He doesn't want the baby?"

Tear drops fell from her eyes.

"He's gay Edward. He doesn't even want me."

Fingers brushing, mouths molding.

"I do, I want you."

Her hands sought his, her eyes held his.

"You still love her."

He wanted to close his eyes, away from her gaze, but he owed it to her.

He owed her the truth.

"I do. But I can love you."

She nodded, content with his honesty.

"If you could be anyone, who would you be?"

Rumbling in his chest. Smile on his lips. She closed her eyes and felt at ease.

"Bill Gates?"

A smack to his chest. His lips touching her fist.

"I'm serious! If we go away who would you be?"

He hummed in thought, his hand on their child. _Theirs._ The baby will always be theirs.

"Robert."

Her mind snapped back and she looked at him. He smirked and touched his nose with hers.

"I'd be Robert because a Robert sounds like a fun goofy dude. I can change my name, and be a fun goofy Robert. I'd probably teach music. Or acting. Probably music. Yeah, I'd be Robert. Who would you be?"

She smiled because she didn't know.

She smiled because the answer was 'I'd be yours and that's enough.'

But he was not ready for anything beyond random touches, and the deep loving friendship.

He wasn't ready to know she loved him.

_Loved him_.

So she smiled and said "Jennifer. I think I'd be Jennifer."

He smiled and kissed her again.

"Bella still suits you better."

She sighed because she knew in his mind he saw brunette hair instead of gold, and green eyes instead of blue.

She sighed because try as she might, she would never be Tanya Denali.

She sighed because she wondered if he can ever love her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: Midnight Debacles

**One Year Earlier**

"Bell?"

She turned around and glanced at her clock.

Midnight.

She sighed and stood up from her bed.

"Eddie, what did she do now?"

He sighed and she heard the clunk of ice on glass.

"Bella she's begging me. She's... Bella. She's using me, and I can't... I can't hate her Bell."

She longed to hug him, as he did her that faithful night. She longed to be there for him as well.

It had been six months and still she haunts him.

"Eddie, where are you?"

"Home. London. I just... I miss you Bella."

She closed her eyes and smacked herself for her stupidity.

"I'm coming over."

"Bell no... its midnight!"

She smiled and stripped her shorts for more decent pants.

"So what? Midnight has always been ours."

He huffed but she knew him well enough now to know that was longing in his voice.

"I don't want you to sacrifice for me."

She stopped and closed her eyes.

Imagined him standing in front of her and her heart yearned.

"Eddie. I'll always, always come whenever you need me to."

She doesn't say she does it because he'd have done it too.

She doesn't say she knows he'll always be there for her too.

She doesn't need to.

"That's what she said."

His voice murmured quietly.

And laughing she grabbed a few things to bring with her.

They didn't matter.

She had all that was important to her right there, in her ear, nagging her to secure her papers.

It was past midnight when they ended the call.

Past midnight when she called her ruffled manager to get her the red eye to London.

Past midnight when she boarded a plane that will take her home.

But it didn't matter.

In her heart it was still midnight.

In her heart it was still that one moment that changed her life forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three: Blank

Present Time: September 2013

"Eddie, thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

He stared at her green eyes. Eyes that used to make his body feel like it was set on fire.

Now his body was cold, disgusted. Blank.

"Eddie please, say something."

Her hands clasped his. Her hands that used to send this electrical tingle within him with just a touch.

Now he withdrew his hand away, because her touch made him feel cold, disgusted. Blank.

"What do you want me to say? That I forgive you? Okay, I do. But that can't bring back my children."

His voice which used to be incapable of not conveying his love for her is cold, disgusted, blank.

"You won an Oscar! That's so great baby! You should separate yourself from that girl already! She's no good for you!"

Her lips quivered and his own mouth twisted. Her lips used to be so inviting to him, like the softest candy he could ever have. Now it just made him feel cold, disgusted, blank.

"And you think you are, is that it? I knew there was a reason for this Tanya. What, no directors are willing to screw you for a part so you come to me? I never knew you did I? I never knew who you were."

Never once had he spoken a bad word to her, not when he saw her in that car with her filthy director. Not when she used his name to make her look like a victim. Not when she told him she killed their children. But hearing her desecrate _her,_ the one thing he valued, something snapped within him.

His words were cold, disgusted and blank.

"You knew me Eddie. You love me."

He stood up and leaned close to her.

"I thought I did. So help me God, Tanya, I thought I did. And had you not crushed my heart, burnt it and spit upon the ashes I would have gone the rest of my life believing I love you with everything that I am. So I guess my thanks are in order."

Her hands desperately grabbed at him. "It was one night Ed. It was a mistake!"

He sneered and his heart which used to churn and burn whenever tears fell from her eyes lay silent in his chest. Cold, disgusted and blank.

"I may seem like an idiot, but I'm not, Tanya. So just, stop calling me, stop trying to recover this, us. It's broken, it's done. We're over."

She shook her head and her brown hair brushed his arm as she jumped to his arms and buried her head on his chest. "You can't say that Ed. We're meant to be! We're Tanya and Edward, Edward and Tanya. You can't just break us!"

Her scent invaded his senses. A scent which used to scream mate, which used to make his insides quiver.

Now he is sickened by the mere thought of it.

Her mere presence makes him cold, disgusted. Blank.

"You broke us, Tanya. You broke us. I would have spent the rest of my life with you, but you broke us."

"Edward please..."

He took her arms and stared her straight in the eyes. He was blank, so blank it hurt.

"I'm having a baby. I'm starting a family with a woman who loves me, and not the idea of me. I want to be happy Tanya. But with you... You owe me this. You owe me my happiness. I have it, right here at my fingertips, and I can't reach it because of you, because you broke me, you broke us and she fixed me the best way she could.

"She saved me, Tanya. And if you ever loved me, really loved me, you'd let me go."

She closed her eyes and choked back a sob and stepped back from him.

"I'm sorry Edward."

"I know. I forgive you. I just can't forget this."

He picked up his jacket and walked to the door.

"Good bye Tanya."

And as he walked he was no longer cold, no longer disgusted.

But he was so very blank.


End file.
